German Phrase
Noch nicht, ich habe spät gefrühstückt.
Meaning
The speaker is saying that something has not happened yet because they ate breakfast later than usual. It conveys a short explanation for a delay, often in response to a question like “Are you ready?” or “Did you already start?”
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to explain that you are not ready or haven’t done something because you had a late breakfast. It works in informal conversations with friends, family, or colleagues.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nochnicht,ichhabespätgefrühstückt.
Noch nicht
A fixed phrase meaning “not yet”. It is used to negate a statement about something that is expected to happen later.
Present Perfect (Perfekt)
German uses the present perfect (haben + past participle) for most past actions in spoken language.
Adverb placement
Time adverbs like spät normally stand directly before the past participle in the Perfekt: ich habe spät gefrühstückt.
Separable verb
The verb frühstücken is separable; in the Perfekt the prefix ge‑ is added to the stem: ge‑frühstückt.
Comma usage
A comma separates the two independent clauses “Noch nicht” and “ich habe spät gefrühstückt”.
🗨In Conversation
Bist du schon fertig für das Meeting?
Are you ready for the meeting yet?
Noch nicht, ich habe spät gefrühstückt.
Not yet, I had breakfast late.
✕Common Mistakes
Ich habe gefrühstückt spät.
The adverb spät should come before the past participle, not after it.
Noch nicht ich habe spät gefrühstückt.
A comma is needed to separate the two independent clauses.
Ich habe spät gefruhstückt.
The verb frühstücken is separable; the past participle must be gefrühstückt, not gefruhstückt or gefrühstückt without the umlaut.
↔Alternatives
Noch nicht, ich habe erst spät gefrühstückt.
Not yet, I only had breakfast late.
Ich habe erst spät gefrühstückt, also noch nicht.
I only had breakfast late, so not yet.
Noch nicht, ich habe heute erst spät gefrühstückt.
Not yet, I only had breakfast late today.
Cultural Tip
In Germany breakfast (Frühstück) is usually eaten early, often between 7 am and 9 am. Saying you ate “spät” (late) can imply you started the day later than usual, which may affect punctuality. Germans appreciate punctuality, so it’s common to give this kind of brief excuse when you’re running behind schedule.